Part 17 (1/2)

Yet, I would track her--would find her And then I laughed at myself for a fool, for ho I, after all this tiht be far away by that tiain, and there upon the su and hard for footprints But I sought in vain There were none Lalusini ht have vanished like a bird into the air

All that day I searched There -places upon the mountain, even more secret than the one which was known only to me and to her But if this was so I know not I only know that, search as I would, no trace could I find of such

Then I went down again into the rock hollow to pass the night, thinking she ht chance to return But when I lay down to sleep, sleep would not cohtly as to be more wakefulness than sleep; and it see overher by na of beasts, ravening upon the ht And when the sun rose at last, then her into the sky, and still Lalusini did not return, I knew then that I had lost her forever, that never would I behold her edto where I had left the dead lion, cut off the head and forepaws and the tail-tuft of the wenya, sorrowing exceedingly for the loss of her who had thus bewitchedpriest was of French nationality was soh unable to recognise any specific word, Untuswa declared that it seeer's speech

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A LIFE FOR TEN LIVES

I returned to Kwa'zingwenya with the head and paws of the great lion I had slain, and those who beheld it envied, crying, ”What a hunter is Untuswa! In the chase, as in war, his is the weapon beneath which falls the , too, was pleased when he beheld those trophies But Nangeza, seeing them, said:--

”Ah, ah, Untuswa Thy skill is in truth wonderful, ent forth to find a young heifer and found an old lion”

This she said jeering, and with her eyes uponnot to notice, found food for eza indeed discovered my secret? Was she concerned in the disappearance of Lalusini? Ha! I resolved to watch her narrowly, and were my suspicions verified, why then, indeed, there would be room in s being quiet and our nation settling down in its new land, I gained the King's leave to build wenya, and thither I removed with all wali also came with me with his wives, and two other sons of e kraal of a score and a half of huts But as tith and efficiency ofto think less of Lalusini I thought of her h the forest trees, it seemed that I could see her eyes, in the soft whispers of the wind at evening I could hear her voice In my dreams I beheld her, ith her _Au_! I was bewitched indeed But although I ain to the n which should show she had revisited her hiding-place All there had fallen one never to return

”Of a truth, Untuswa, thou shouldst be an _isanusi_ thyself,” said the King one day ere sitting alone together in debate ”Thou hast a gift for finding _izanusi_ and bringing the which last my mind is in darkness, for I know not what to do with him”

”Is he not content, Black Elephant? Does he not fare well a those who care to listen--ah, ah! those who care to listen?” I added with

”For a time yes,” said Umzilikazi ”But the day will coain”

”Let him travel back by the way he ca ”For him the way of the South is not safe There indeed are peoples that would do him harm”

The Great Great One shook his head in discontent

”Verily, Untuswa, I know not how this will end,” he said

”Let be for the present,the slaves It ht themselves in this ht But both I and the Great Great One little guessed in what reat distance of time--ah, no! little could e foresee that

Now this was theto the white _isanusi_ and his teaching of the slaves The last thing the King desired was that this white man should journey South, to bear, ane: ”Yonder, to the North, in a fair and atered land, dwells Ue proportion are of no account--being dogs and slaves” The white stranger and the Gaza, Ngubazana, were but two men: what easier than to kill the so the _izinduna_ who spoke darkly to this end

But to such counsels Uer was his friend He was not of the race of the greedy, lying Amabuna; , neither lands nor possessions; and though his teachings were not such as to be accepted by a warrior nation, there was no har Not upon any considerations should he be harmed--neither the Gaza, his follower

But hegave secret orders that a few of the lowest of the slaves should listen to his teaching, and slowly and by degrees bring themselves to accept it, or pretend to Then a few more were added to these; but ever with caution, lest the white _isanusi_ should suspect But he did not suspect; on the contrary, his heart was filled with joy at the readiness ith, these received his teaching, and at length--for this took time--he put them under the same rites as those which he had perforirl So he was content to dith us; and while we laughed a ourselves over the trick we had played upon hilad that this other road lay open to him besides that to the South, which would have caused us trouble, and that into the Dark Unknohich wenya after this _indaba_ with the King, and was returning toever upon the disappearance of the Bakoni sorceress, when I ca and peering on the ground It was old Masuka